Extraordinary Food of Distinctive Quality
“I was afforded lots of unique experiences and invitations and as a rule I always just said yes.” — Lydia Burns, founder of Savvy Squirrel Consulting (accredited cheese courses) Consulting with the Rogers Collection team as self-titled Cheese Maven for Education & Outreach, a quirky but apt title (maven means ‘connoisseur’ or ‘expert’) that steers…
Meet Leska, our Staff Writer! As the re-opening date of June 8th came closer and closer, my anxiety increased. What would something I had done for so many years now look like after an unprecedented pandemic? Prior to COVID, I had already felt a lack of enthusiasm for my job. And now, the thought of…
“Tomatoes for us in the south (of Italy) mean summer. When we see fresh tomatoes at the local store, it means summer is here, the beach, friends, the panino caprese with mozzarella that we take to the beach…and caponata with fresh tomatoes, tuna, olives and red onions… summer mode: ON.” —Giuliana Galati, Export Manager for…
“Working there [in the olive grove] is a ‘lesson in humility….’ How many generations have walked among those trees? And how many will walk there after me?’” —The Art of Eating, a quote by Jean-Benoit Hugues, producer of CastelineS extra virgin olive oil in Provence, France. For many of us around the world, summer is…
“The company is 115 years old and sometimes you literally feel the weight, the call, and the challenge of those who ran the company before us,” says Giovanni Bianchi, grandson to Pio Tosini, who currently runs the family business along with his cousin, also grandson to Pio, Nicola Tosini. Recently, Giovanni and I conducted an…
You know me, I like to start with a little history–brief, I promise! Parmigiano Reggiano, as the name suggests, is a cow’s milk cheese first produced in the Duchy of Parma, an area that lies between the small Italian villages of Parma and Reggio Emilia. As the name doesn’t suggest, this cheese originated in farming…
Malt vinegars have become linked–if not exclusively, primarily–to fish-and-chips over the years. And it’s true: a dash, or a douse, if you prefer, is an essential and delicious enhancement to fish-and-chips. However, the times, they are a’ changin’ for malt vinegars. And a good, artisanal malt vinegar like Artisan Malt Vinegar? Winner of Taste of…
There are four versions in the Les Moulins Mahjoub “Family of Harissas” and when my samples arrive in the mail one afternoon, you bet I tear right into the box! I decide to pop open the Organic Tunisian Baklouti Harissa. I can smell deep notes of red pepper immediately–and the color of the smooth harissa…
The half-wheels of Moncedillo Original and Red cheese sit on a wooden cutting board on my countertop at home… …I putter around my apartment for a bit, letting the cheese come up to room temperature. I slice a small wedge of each and place them completely unadorned on a small white plate. I pour a…
“To refer to Mahón-Menorca cheese is to speak of dedication, tradition and respect for the environment, culture and customs from Menorca Island.” –Quintana family, master cheese ripening affinadores. First, a quick geography lesson and run-down on Mahón cheese. Mahón is the capital and port of Menorca, Spain, the most northerly of the Balearic Islands–and little…